The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-12-26
SETH'S C0URTING.


oetn flanKlln had been In love With
pretty Mildred Hastings ever since she
was in pinaiores and he In roundabouts,
and was accustomed, as boy and youth, to
blush violently evory time no met her.
She always "made fun" Of him in the Ian.
guage Of the schoolgirls. and rldlculod
his tow.colored locks and gswky limbs.
And he knew 1t, Too; but instead OF hating
her for 1t, no only loved her all the more
as divinity set far above him.
But when he returned homo after a five
years. course atcollege, situations changed,
He was etill homely, but he was no longer
awkward, and hiu bashfulness became
him like the reserved Of cultivated ma.
ture. He no longer blushed or tldgetted
when no met Mildred, and his friends
said: Seth has got over the old love-" !
Had heP Do men get over case OF
love, as il 1t were measles or mumps i?
They might think 80, but there was one
pereon who knew better. That was Mil.
dred herself. He no longer blushed, but
he turned cold, and his voice trembled.
though he tried hard to steady It, and did
steady 1t to all ears but hers. She knew
and felt that tremor that ran through his
well.chosen and carefully-modulated
words: He might deceive the world and
himself-he could not deceive hor.
"Why don't you take wife 2" his
mother inquired, an1iously.
And he answered in the jocose vein OF a
great wit:
"Whose wife shall I take, mothsr?"
But one night be nearly ventured to re-.
veal what was In bis mind,
His mother had been urging him to
marry. She wished to 70 out West and
settle with On older child, daughter, but
could not bear to leave Seth alone. 4,
So he preached the matter to Mildred AZ
he was seeing her home from church.
II suppose" he began in true Yankee
style, THAT you know good many bright,
pretty girls who are housekeepers and
would make good What was thnt p"
Mildred had laughed aloud. It was an
actual truth, and at the very moment
when her fate was about to be decided.
SWELL" she said, recovering herself,
"what was it you wanted ?"
( But he never finished 1t. When Christ.
mas came he wrote her long, formal
offer Of his heart and hand, and fastened
the letter to the branches OF the teachers
Christmas tree at the church. He said
several pretty things in 1t about giving
himself and all his possessions, for her
acceptance, and waited within sight OF
the church, intending to be on hand to
walk homo with her if she would have
him. The slgnal, to be the letter worn at
her belt.
But careless hand ignited the tree
from a burning taper, and, in the panic
which ensued, Seth saw a moro fortunate
rival bearing his Mildred to a place Of
safety, AZ
Soon after he lost another opportunity.
He was esco,ting her homo when he
suddenly asked:
out Wost?"" ~ 49,
It was 80 evident that he had not finish
ed his sentence as he intended to, that
Mildred laughed again. What possessed
herr -. -1l7l
"Will you give me good reference If
do = she asked, demurely. zz.55@, q,
"1ndeed l will, Mildred" he answered,
with all seriousness. why, Mildred, do
you know l have always thought you were
the beat--set out, you brute!" they had
reached the gate, and ierocious msstiff
was worrying Mildred's lover. She sooth-
ed him with O word (the dog not the
lover), and waited to hear more,
"Good night" he aaid, and there was a
world Of meaning in the words; but the
most imaginative girl could hardly con-
strue 1t into an offer. ~.
"And this is the man who can address a
jury and fsscinate an audience with his
oratory," thought Mildred, "and yet he is
frightened to death at one poor little wo.
nun I'll think no more of him."
Then che thought all the more OF him,
and laid little innocenttrapB which always
sprung before he was in them,
Years passed away; Ssth was Q ute re-.
spectacle old bachelor and Mildred was
just turning the first corner toward being
an old m. i'd, and the lsggard in love had
never yet found the courage to say: "Mil-
dred, l love you" h
It WAS Christmas eve. At the Hastings
homestead there was unusual quiet, and
an Absence of the customary merriment
Of past seasons. Some OF this was due to
letter Father Hastings had received that
day which brought news from far coun.
try. Aguest invited to spend Christmas
with them had p0ne homa Death had